Fossil Fighters Championship: Calisteo Academy
by WhiteMoonxBlackSun
Summary: A replay fanfic of Fossil Fighters Championship taking place at Calisteo Academy. Addition of an OC. Summary in first chapter. Rated T for vivosaur violence and occassional mention of blood.
1. Prologue

**I do not own Fossil Fighters Champions.**

**Siblings Diana and Dino have enrolled at Calisteo Academy. They shall make new friends, reunite with old and possibly find love. Did I forget to mention that there is an evil force hiding at the academy and a school wide fossil fighter tournament?**

* * *

**2 years ago…**

"Hey come on Dino! We don't have all day!" called a young girl with medium length blonde hair tied in a side ponytail wearing blue, as she ran up a hillside towards a forested area. A young boy with navy blue hair and orange clothing followed behind her with a worried expression.

"Diana, slow down and be careful, we don't now what's around here, it could be dangerous."

"Don't worry, if anything happens I'll just call out Talia" She replied, bringing out a dino medal. She paused for a moment, grinned and said, "Talia agrees as well."

Fossil fighters have a special connection with their vivosaurs that allows them to communicate telepathically.

_I agree, if anything happens, just call me, Dino_. A voice came from Dino's medal. _Thanks Spinax, but hopefully nothing will happen_, he thought back. Diana continued forward and Dino, voicing a small sigh sped up to stay just behind her. As they reached the top of hill, where the forest began, they suddenly heard a large roar, the ground began to rumble and the sounds of fleeing animals could be heard. The two siblings froze in their tracks and looked around, trying to pinpoint the source of the disturbance. Dino spun to face the trees and exclaimed, "It's coming from over there!"

Immediately after, a large blue vivosaur with a cream underbelly and silver stripes emerged with loud stomps and a roar. "What's an Allo doing here!?" cried Diana. Dino grabbed her hand and the two began to run with the Allo chasing, they came to a halt as the ground turned into air, they were trapped at the edge of a cliff. As they turned to face the incoming vivosaur, Dino went into a protective stance and brought out his dino medal. Just before he threw it, Diana cried "Look over there!"

A man wearing brown cowboy clothing came swooping in on his Ptera, a large yellow winged vivosaur with blue markings, and he extended his hand out to them. This time Diana grabbed Dino's hand and the two leapt from the cliff and the trio then landed behind the Allo.

"Whew, that was close, are you two alright?" The man asked as his passengers slid of Ptera's back. "Yes thank you very much." Replied Dino,

"You two seem interested in vivosaurs, how about I give you one and try defeating that Allo?"

"Thanks for the offer, but my brother and I already have our own vivosaurs. I'll take on this Allo and win no problem!" Diana cheerfully replied as she tossed her medal and a large pale purple vivosaur with a long neck appeared. "Let's go Talia!"

Dino and the man stood back as the battle commenced, the two siblings had a deep bond with their respective vivosaurs though they were quite young, so they did not need to call commands; they simply communicated with their thoughts.

As the Allo came charging at the group, Talia stood in front and lashed out with her tail, hitting its legs and knocking it off balance. The large blue vivosaur faltered and Talia took the opportunity to come closer and hit it hard with a body slam. The Allo, now furious, grabbed a hold of Talia's tail with its teeth. Talia winced but lifted the rampaging vivosaur and slammed it against the ground a few times. The Allo gave a weak cry and faded, turning back into medal form. Talia gave a triumphant roar and faded as well, Diana caught the medal and smiled, turned and gave a thumbs up to Dino. The man had a surprised look on his face as he went and picked up the fallen dino medal.

"Wow, you're really talented. I think that one day you'll be an amazing fossil fighter. Would you be interested in coming to study at Calisteo Academy? I happen to be the principal there, my name is Joe Wildwest."

The mouths of the siblings fell open as they looked at the man. The greatest and most famous fossil fighter was standing right in front of them, in the flesh.

Diana took the initiative and answered, "We're definitely going there to study. One day, I'm going to be a fossil fighter just like you!" Dino silently nodded as well.

Joe chuckled and replied, "Look forward to see at the academy." He hopped onto the back of his Ptera and the two flew off into the sky, probably heading back home.

Diana and Dino walked down the path, heading home, suddenly a thought hit her, "Dino, you let me fight that rampaging vivosaur, didn't you?" He gave a small, sly smile. "You knew who he was right from the start, didn't you!" Diana said accusingly. "You wanted him to have a good impression of me, even though you could have easily handled that Allo on your own."

"I saw no reason to interfere, you were doing fine." He replied.

A thought popped into her head and in a teasing tone she said, "This is about that promise you made with that girl, isn't it?" His face turned red and he stammered, "N-no its not!"

Diana giggled and ran ahead with a still red Dino following behind. _Dino, isn't that actually the truth?_ Spinax asked, _Yes it is, but I won't admit that to my sister._

The boy and girl continued down the path and returned home safely, each with the goal of attending Calisteo Academy in the future.

**1 year ago…**

In front of the gates to Calisteo Academy stood a lone girl wrapped in a dark coloured cloak. The wind blew her black, waist length hair in front of her face and she moved it away irritably, taking care to avoid the eye patch covering her right eye. She had a mission to fulfill, one of great importance; to find the 'one' who would be victorious against evil.

_Be careful, it would be bad if you are found out. _A worried voice said in her mind.

_Don't worry Compso, I'll stay out of people's attention. Besides, with what I've been through, I'm not exactly very trusting of people. _She thought back. The vivosaur stayed silent and the girl looked out toward the setting sun, breathing a sigh. _Everything has changed, I have changed and nothing will ever be the same again._ She turned to face the doors, entered the grounds and headed towards the principal's office.


	2. First Day

"We're almost there!" Diana cried joyously as the helicopter neared their destination, Calisteo Academy, a gathering place for all aspiring fossil fighters and researchers. Dino nodded his head, his sister's excitement contagious.

They were also excited for another reason; they were reuniting with an old friend, Todd. The trio had met a few years back and became fast friends. Though Todd had moved, they had kept in touch, so they were looking forward to seeing their old friend again. The helicopter touched down on the ground and immediately as the doors slid open, Diana and Dino saw Todd waving madly at them. He wore his trademark green explorer-like clothing and his beige hat covered his brown hair. He ran up and gave them a hug.

"It's so great to see you guys again! But I guess this was a no-brainer considering your talents in fossil battles. Anyway, since I'm your friend, I'll be escorting you to the office for admin and then I'll give you a grand tour of the place."

"Thanks Todd!" said Diana as the group grabbed their luggage and headed into academy. The academy itself was one building, a very, extremely large building. There were gardens and park areas outside, as well as an airport for the students to be able to travel around the islands easily. Thankfully, the way to the office was straightforward; up a flight of stairs and down a hallway, the door also had a sign reading 'Principal Wildwest'. The group entered the room, the chair spun around and the familiar face of Joe appeared.

"Well, I take it you two are the new additions to the school, nice to meet ya."

Diana smiled back and said, "Thanks again for rescuing my brother and I from that Allo two years ago."

His smile faltered as confusion entered in his eyes, "I don't know what you are talking about, but anyway, welcome to Calisteo Academy a great place to learn and train to become fossil fighters and researchers. I'd bore you with the details but I think that seeing is believing. You'll definitely enjoy your school life here. Todd here shall give you a tour, first stop is admin, make sure you talk with my secretary, she'll give you the information and stuff given to every student here." He waved goodbye as Diana, Dino and Todd exited the office. Diana and Dino were confused about 's reaction; however they thought that since it was not a big deal probably to him, that the fact simply slipped his mind.

They were greeted by a young woman with her brown hair in a bun and professionally looking blue blazer and pencil skirt. "Hello, my name is Wendy, here are your schedules, information about living arrangements and your Paleopagers."

"…Paleopagers?" Diana asked.

"They are handed to each student and are used to send messages between students and for important school wide announcements. You'll also get a scanner and a fossil case for fossil hunting." Wendy handed the two of them their things and waved goodbye as the group began their tour.

Dino and Diana saw the lay of the land: the gardens, the hallways, the cafeteria and many other places. As they were entering the school, they bumped into a cute girl with fluffy pink hair in pigtails, wearing a rather revealing flowery top and a green hula skirt with yellow shorts as well as a large bracelet with strange markings. Todd, recognizing the person waved and called her over.

"This is my friend, Pauleen. Pauleen, these are Diana and Dino, some old friends who just enrolled here."

She came up to them and shook their hands, "Pleasure to meet you, I hope we'll get along with each other." Diana and Dino smiled back, the two siblings thought that the girl was very friendly and they would get along easily with her. Since she had some free time, she decided to tag along for the rest of the tour. Continuing inside the school building the group was blocked by a mob of girls in the main hallway. I

n front of them was a single guy dressed in a red coat and dark pants with silver hair and golden eyes. He was quite handsome; no doubt the reason for the fan girls swarming about him. As he stood there, he seemed bored and annoyed, at least to Diana. The other girls gave no indication that they realized that their antics were bothersome. Seeing that the mob would be occupying the hallway for an indefinite amount of time, the group decided to take a different route, however as they started to walk away, a group of girls rushed by to join the mob and bumped into Diana, sending her tumbling backward through the wall of people and landing on the ground with a cry of surprise. She ended up right in front of the young man all the girls were admiring, he offered his hand to help her up and she grasped it, prompting some gasps and jealous looks from the other girls.

"Thank you" said Diana. The guy smiled back and replied, "Not a problem at all." This prompted the girls to begin screaming like lunatics and somehow at the same time, look daggers at Diana. Wondering what the big commotion was, she turned and returned to the group with the others asking if she was okay. She replied that she was fine and the tour continued.

_Hmm… interesting, she must be one of the new transfer students. She seems different from the others, one of the few who do not act like these annoying fan girls_. He stared after the group as they walked away, curious and thoughtful.

"What was with all those crazy girls?" asked Dino the moment they were out of earshot.

"Oh, that's Rupert. He's the son of the president of Fossil Corporation, that really big company that manufactures anything really related to vivosaurs. He's also a really strong fossil fighter; he hasn't lost a single battle ever. He also good looking, so when you put all that together, instant celebrity." Explained Todd and Pauleen nodded in agreement.

"For someone so popular, he didn't seem to enjoy all the attention" she murmured, almost to herself. The others looked at her curiously and she felt a blush fighting to emerge on her cheeks, she waved her hands in front of her as she told them to ignore what she just said. As they had been talking the tour of the inside of the school had been completed and Todd was leading outside towards one of the gardens. Just one or two would do, as the general layout was the same with minor changes.

They neared the center of the garden and Dino noticed a girl watching the flowers and the little animals that appeared nearby. Her long dark hair obscured her face from view and her dark cloak contrasted sharply with the bright colours of the flowers. As if noticing she was being watched, the girl lifted her head to look at him; her dark eyes seemed to see beyond what was in front of her and seemed to be clouded over for an unknown reason. She turned and walked away, her heels clicking on the stone walkway, heading towards what seemed to be the female dorms. The others, noticing that he had strayed walked over and asked what had happened. Dino described the girl and Todd's eyes widened and his mouth opened.

"Did she talk to you?!" When Dino shook his head, Todd calmed down and began to explain. "Her name is Sena, she's known to be really strange, and most people usually ignore her. She wears an eye patch though no one knows why."

Pauleen interrupted and said, "She is not sociable at all, I should know since I'm her roommate." Todd smirked and Pauleen glared, "Other than that she seems to be a decent person." Dino had more questions too ask, but decided against it as it was probable they did not have the answers. The group continued on with the tour around the remaining areas, the time passed quickly and soon it was time for dinner.

Diana and company entered the cafeteria, grabbed their trays and food and sat down to chat and eat. The meal passed peacefully between them at least as the appearance of two people in particular to cause the other students to react extremely. First was Rupert, as soon as he entered the room, all the girls (except Diana and Pauleen for the most part) started to squeal, he ignored them and continued on, grabbed his lunch and regally exited the room, whisperings continuing even though he was gone, a mixture of admiration and envy.

A few minutes later, a similar event occurred but the reaction was the complete opposite. Dino heard a small creak as the double doors of the cafeteria opened just wide enough for a person to slip in. Sena seemed to make no sound as she walked across the floor; the other students took no notice, too absorbed in their own private conversations. That changed as she took her food and proceeded towards the doors, like a wave the cafeteria fell silent, one could hear a pin drop.

A couple of guys sitting nearby started to jeer, "Hurry and leave already, you freak!" Some others joined; the ones who did not simply relayed the message with their eyes. A shadow of a smirk appeared on her face for a moment, it disappeared as her face betrayed nothing about her emotional state. Dino thought he must have been imagining things. She walked out, blatantly ignoring the mean remarks, which stopped following her exit. The moment Sena's back was turned away and the door shut, she smirked, internally laughing about the sheer irony of the situation.

_Those people call me a freak to demean me, I wonder what they would think if their taunts were actually the truth? Even so, their insults are weak._

Compso, hearing what she thought, fiercely replied; _You are not a freak! Don't listen to a word they say. One day you'll fine great friends who will accept you._

"As if anyone would want to be friends with me once they find out." She whispered bitterly as she walked to her customary eating spot in the nearest garden; a place where she could relax and avoid all the hustle and bustle with peace and quiet.

Back in the cafeteria, the others noticed that Dino seemed distracted from eating and the conversation.

"Hey, earth to Dino, what is up? You seem to be staring off into space" said Todd, waving his hand in front of Dino's face, trying to get his attention.

Dino snapped back and replied, "Oh sorry about that." "You seem to have been awfully distracted for a while…" Diana trailed off as she put two and two together and a grin appeared on her face, her eyes dancing with mischief.

"You saw a pretty girl, didn't you?" Dino flushed at the statement and vehemently denied it. Pauleen and Todd stared expectantly at him, and he caved in, "I just think that that girl Sena is very interesting." He said as quietly as he could.

The rest of the group giggled but Todd said seriously, "Be careful, there are bad rumours swirling around her; pretty much everyone tries to avoid her." Dino nodded his head.

_You're not actually going to do that are you? _Spinax said, Dino did not respond however the vivosaur could tell that what he said was true.

The group finished eating, put away their trays and exited the cafeteria. The day was almost over and the siblings had the basic knowledge of the premises, tomorrow would be their first day of school. The last location for the day was the dorms, a pair of identical buildings for the students to call home during their studies. Pauleen explained that they were assigned rooms; the room number, roommates and room key were in the envelope given to them earlier today. Diana and Dino opened the envelopes and extracted the required paper and everyone peered at the contents. Dino would be sharing a room with Todd and Diana would be roommates with Pauleen. Both were happy with the arrangement.

"Finally, I have someone to talk to." Pauleen said happily, Todd nodded as well. "Do you two not have roommates?" Dino asked.

"We do but they aren't very social..."

"Rupert's my roommate, he probably doesn't like like me very much and all the crazy fans don't help. He is the school idol after all." Explained Todd, Pauleen began right after. "I think I told you before but my roommate is Sena, that girl in the cafeteria. She almost does not talk at all and everyone avoids her. She seems kind of unapproachable."

"I think that since we're roommates, we could become friends." Diana said stubbornly. Pauleen and Todd looked exasperated at her, then at Dino who just shook his head.

"Its useless, once she starts something, she will not give up until the end."

The group split and entered their respective dorms and walked over to their rooms. They were the same type of room, with three beds, closets, desks and a window looking out towards a scenic view of the island. As Diana and Pauleen entered the room, Sena looked up from her book, confusion flashed across her face at the newcomer. After she did not say anything and simply observed. Diana decided to take a chance and introduced herself.

"Hi! My name is Diana. I just enrolled here; I hope we'll become friends." She offered her hand to the other girl. Sena tentatively the hand and slightly tilted her head. With the introductions done, Diana began to unpack her things with some help from Pauleen while Sena continued reading her book. Diana felt that she had made a good first impression with her roommates. Once that was done, the three girls changed and went to bed. As they lay in bed, each with their own thoughts.

Diana: _Today has been great, I've already made some friends. Everyone here is so nice, even that Rupert guy. He is pretty good looking, no wonder he has all those fans... Wait, why am I thinking about him? He wouldn't bother with me anyways. I will do my best and become a great fossil fighter._

Pauleen: _Who knew Todd had such nice friends. They seem to be so naturally easygoing and nice. I'm envious; I wish I could be like them._

Sena: _I seem to have found the one I have been looking for, though she seems to be missing something. I'll have to keep an eye on her. That other guy seems similar to her, but there is something different about him. I'd better stay away and watch from the shadows. Nothing good has ever happened when I let my guard down in the presence of others._

Going back to when the group split up, Todd and Dino also entered the dorm and entered their room. The curtains were drawn and the lights were on, though the sun had not yet set. Rupert made no motion to acknowledge that people had entered as he sat writing at a table. Todd stared disapprovingly at the young man, sighed and began introductions.

"This is my friend Dino, he's one of the transfer students. The three of us are going to be roommates."

Rupert looked up from his work, pen in hand and said, "I hope you are a better fossil fighter than Todd over here." Confused, Dino did not say anything and Todd replied angrily, "Dino and his sister Diana are really strong! I bet Diana could beat your winning streak."

"Hmm...she's that girl I bumped into earlier today, right? Interesting...we'll see about that." Rupert replied as he set down his pen on the table.

Turning slightly to face Dino, he said "Anyway, welcome to the academy." Dino nodded his head and then proceeded to unpack with some help from Todd. Part way through Dino asked, "Why are the curtains closed? There is still light outside." Todd grimaced and replied, "If they weren't closed, the entire window would be covered with the faces of Rupert's fan club members."

"Aren't we on the second floor though?" Dino continued. "Well that doesn't stop them in the slightest." Todd replied. The conversation stopped there and they continued unpacking Dino's belongings. By the time they were done, night was about to fall, Rupert was already in bed and presumably sleeping. Todd and Dino prepared for bed as well and crawled into bed. Like the girls, they also had some thoughts as they laid in the bed, waiting for sleep.

Todd: _Thank goodness I have a new roommate. I cannot believe that Dino and his sister are enrolling here as well; this year is going to be great._

Rupert: _Great, another roommate, I hope this guy isn't as annoying as Todd. His sister seems different from the other girls here; for one thing she does not squeal and scream on sight of me. In addition, according to Todd, she is a strong fossil fighter. I hope this is true; it'll be nice to have a battle that is not boring._

Dino: _Today was fun, I hope the rest of the year passes peacefully, though I have a feeling that something will happen. I wonder why everyone avoids Sena; I hope that she and Diana become friends. Diana would surely not rest if she decides to be friends._

The moon hung in the sky as the academy students fell asleep, waiting for their alarm clocks to sound the beginning of the next school day.


	3. Sena's Situation

Sena always made sure to wake up well before her roommate to prepare for the morning. It made life a lot simpler, she would not have to explain the scars on her arms and back. She also wore long darker clothing to hide this fact, to blend in with the crowd and for personal preferences. However, with the arrival of the new roommate, her mornings were changed.

Sena's eyes opened and she got out of bed at the usual time, while Pauleen was fast asleep in her bed. Sena crept to the drawer and picked out some clothes and headed to the washroom to change. By the time she exited the bathroom, Diana was awake as well and sleepily headed towards the washroom. Silently cursing, Sena was glad she had just avoided a possible unwanted conversation. She headed as quickly as possible to the door, however Diana called to her. "Good morning!" Sena nodded her head and continued towards the door; Diana sprang forward and grabbed her hand. As if touching Diana's hand had caused an electric shock, Sena whipped her hand away.

_Strange, even though she has probably heard the rumors, she still tries to talk to me. _

She glared coldly at Diana and said, "Stay away from me. It will be better for you if you do." She turned away and walked down the hall, towards the stairs and the exit of the dorms. Diana stared and pondered her behavior; she was interrupted as Pauleen appeared behind her, in her pajamas.

She yawned and said, "Don't worry about her. She always acts like that. What time is it anyway?"

Diana glanced over to a clock hanging on the wall, it read 7:30. When she relayed the time to Pauleen, her eyes snapped open.

"Oh no! There is only half of an hour until classes start. I'm going to be late!" She wailed as she rushed to change and prepare her school bag. Diana, who had finished a bit earlier watched and giggled occasionally.

Sena exited the dorms and walked towards the school building, on the way she bumped into Todd and Dino. She walked past them, and glared at Dino when he waved good morning.

_I need to keep my guard up around these two, _she thought as she entered the school building. As she neared the classroom, the door was slightly ajar. Quietly sighing, she opened the door, as usual something came falling, and today it was a bucket of water. She quickly stepped back and caught the bucket, making sure to avoid spilling any water on the ground.

"You should have gotten all wet, you probably needed a shower." A voice sneered in the classroom, another voice giggled. The voices belonged to Stephanie and Mai, a pair of girls that took great pleasure in bullying specifically those weaker than themselves.

_Supposedly, I guess,_ Sena thought slyly, _if they knew the real me, they would leave me alone_. Their typical target was usually the frailest student in their class, they bullied said person extensively, the end result often being that the victim would change classes or transfer out of the academy entirely. The pair was smart, their displays of bullying were done when no was looking, and there was no evidence to link them to the act.

Everybody in the class knew that they bullied those people; however no one took action as they did not want to be the next victims. Sena was their newest target, as she had a bad reputation. Stephanie and Mai thought that no one would help nor would Sena be able to look for help.

She opened the window, checked for other people passing by, and unceremoniously dumped the water. The bucket was returned to its proper spot and Sena took her seat, waiting for the bell to ring.

Meanwhile, Todd and Dino arrived outside the female dorms.

"Didn't you hear what I said yesterday? That girl is bad news." said Todd. At that moment, Diana and Pauleen appeared, "Good morning!" They called. The boys returned the greeting and the group began to walk towards the school.

"I don't think Sena likes me very much." Diana said on route, sadness slightly tinting her voice. "Don't worry about that, I do not think she likes me very much either." replied Dino.

"I'm pretty sure she does not like anyone." piped Todd and Pauleen nodded in agreement. The group entered the school and headed to their class, luckily they were all in the same class so they did not have to separate.

When they entered, they saw Sena sitting at her seat, as well as two girls sitting further back having a conversation. The warning bell rang, signaling that class would begin in a couple of minutes. Diana and Dino decided to wait until the teacher arrived to be placed in a seat.

Moments later a man in a dress shirt and tie with brown hair and a bag entered, he saw the new students and introduced himself as the teacher, Mr. Travis. The other students began to trickle in, took their seats and began light conversation for class was about to begin.

The two siblings stood off to the side at the front and observed their classmates, they seemed quite friendly. Optimism swelled in their hearts, they would fit in just fine. The bell began to ring and the students fell quiet.

\Mr. Travis stood and said, "Good morning everyone, I would like to introduce two new students who shall be joining our class today." motioning towards Diana and Dino, "Come on, introduce yourselves to the class."

Diana stepped forward, "Hello my name is Diana, I really like vivosaurs and fossil battles so I hope to become a great fossil fighter. I hope that I will have lots of fun at this school."

She stepped back and Dino took her place. "Hello my name is Dino, I hope to become a vivosaur researcher." The class clapped politely and Mr. Travis asked, "Are there any empty seats?" He surveyed the class.

"Mr. Travis, there is a spot beside me and Sena." said Stephanie, looking at Dino. Diana, not noticing anything walked over and sat beside her.

"Dino, you can sit in the other seat." she said. Dino shrugged his shoulders and went to his seat. Diana did not notice that Stephanie was glaring daggers at her. The first class of the day began. Before he began to talk, he asked everyone to take out their notebooks.

As Sena opened her book, she felt a slight pain in her finger. Upon closer inspection, the sides of the page had razor blades glued in. Not wanting to attract any attention, she quietly removed the page and shoved it into her desk. Since he was sitting beside her, Dino saw what had happened, but he acted as if everything was normal, though his mind was filled with curiosity.

_Why is this happening? Who would such a thing?_

He snapped back to reality and continued to listen to the teacher, though the content was information he already knew. Afterwards, handed out a worksheet and told the class to work quietly while he went to grab something. The class took this chance and soon the newcomers were surrounded. The other students fired off questions at an alarming pace, all the word stringing together to form incomprehensible babble.

Diana raised her hands and said, "Slow down, I can not understand a word you are saying." The talking slowed enough that questions could be answered. Their curiosity sated, most returned to their seats, the rest wandered to their friends for some conversation.

Todd came over to Diana and Dino and noted, "Just so you know, Rupert's also in our class, he is not here today though."

He then returned to his seat, soon after, Mr. Travis entered the classroom with a stack of paper. He went to his desk, placed the papers down and addressed the class. "Tomorrow, a new area shall be open for students to go visit, TreasureLake. So I am giving you an assignment, go visit and take some notes on the fossils and plants in the area."

The class cheered and groaned at the news, Diana was really excited about tomorrow. The teacher continued his class, doing basic review of vivosaur elements; he was interrupted by the bell signaling the beginning of lunch. The students filed out and headed towards the cafeteria, except for Sena.

She walked down an unused hallway leading outside, towards her usual spot in the garden. She sat and enjoyed the nature around her. All was peaceful and quiet.

_I do not understand why you continue to take this, just_ _beat them up. They will leave you alone once they figure out how strong you are. _Compso thought to Sena, urging that the plan be followed.

_I do not want any attention; it makes it difficult to keep things hidden. You know what would happen if people saw._

In the cafeteria, Diana, Dino, Todd and Pauleen sat down for lunch. Deciding that it was too loud to have a normal conversation inside, they wolfed down their food and headed outside to the garden. Unknown to them, Stephanie and Mai had also quickly eaten their food, for the purpose of not giving their prey a moments rest.

Both groups went outside to the nearest garden, which happened to be in the vicinity where Sena ate lunch everyday. Once she was in their sight, Stephanie and Mai ducked behind a bush and quietly brought out some stones. Using their vivosaurs in the school grounds was forbidden except during classes. Confident that Sena was completely oblivious to their presence, they smirked and readied the rocks.

_Sena…_ Compso began, _Don't worry, it is natural to think that they will surprise me. It's not like the rocks can hurt that much anyway_, Sena interrupted. Compso gave a huff of disapproval. _If the rocks are aiming for my head, I'll stop them_. Sena promised and Compso nodded her approval. Sena took a deep breath, put down her food and braced herself.


	4. The Tournament Begins

**Here's the first mention of OC Taylor created by 1Teffla1Shenliu1Tophis**

* * *

Meanwhile, Diana and the others had just exited the school and entered the garden, looking for a place to sit. As they searched, Dino saw something in the corner of his eye. He turned and saw Sena sitting alone, her lunch beside her and holding a dino medal.

Suddenly, multiple blurs of movement streaked towards her, striking her body. Sena sat still and took the beating, the pain not seeming to register. Stephanie threw one last rock and she and Mai turned and left, not bothering to see the result. The stone in question flew towards Sena's eye patch.

Dino was about to yell "Watch out!" but the words died on his lips. Sena caught the rock, her arm had moved so quickly that Dino did not even see the movement. She eyed the stone, and then let it fall to the ground.

The distraction over, she continued eating her lunch. Dino stood there, shocked at the event. Sensing a presence Sena turned her gaze to the spot where Dino had been moments before and narrowed her eyes.

_Strange, I'm sure someone was there. Oh well_. Sena returned her attention to her food. Dino had moved away, and breathed a sigh of relief that Sena had not noticed him; he did not want to feel like a stalker.

_But wasn't that just like the behaviour of a stalker? _Spinax thought teasingly to Dino. His cheeks pinked. _Cut that out!_ He snapped back.

He quickly returned to the others who had found a place to sit. Luckily his absence was not particularly noticed, for which he was thankful. He was once again mystified by the girl, she seemed capable of standing up for herself, yet she was the target of bullying.

She took beatings, yet could have easily stopped them. The thoughts that occupied his mind were increasing in number. Diana noticed him not paying attention and she became curious as well.

_Dino does not usually act like this. What could have happened to him?_

_Maybe he's got a crush on someone? _Talia giggled as she relayed the thought to Diana.

_I wouldn't know too much about that kind of stuff. It's never a good thing to mull over things that one does not understand_, Diana thought back. The conversation continued until it was interrupted by the bell signaling the end of lunch.

For the rest of the day, Diana and Dino had classes taught by . They were also introduced to their two other teachers; Mr. Physed and Mrs. Revive. They taught the more hands on aspects of their studies. During their first classes with them, Mr. Physed brought them to the gymnasium. The students were told to sit down and he brought out a television.

"Today is going to be the most boring class of the year." He said and began the video. The video was an introduction to fossil battles, explaining the mechanics and rules. By the end everyone felt like falling asleep, as this was basic information and most had already known prior.

The teacher put away the television set and ended the class by saying, "Okay, since this is out of the way, the rest of the classes will pretty much be practice matches with fellow classmates."

The entire classed cheered, when the noise level had died down, he added, "Tomorrow, instead of coming here, we'll meet up at the new area that just opened up, Treasure Lake. You all can have some practice digging up fossils and battling."

The students exited with smiles on their faces in anticipation for tomorrow. The final class of the day was with Mrs. Revive, wearing her white lab coat she greeted the class and began to speak.

"This class will teach and give you practice in order to properly and effectively clean fossils. As you all know, a better cleaned fossil gives more strength to a vivosaur. Since today is the first class, here is an introduction video."

Once again a television set was brought out and the video began. The students were once again bored, however some paid attention, as they felt the need to improve this particular skill. Once the video was over, the final bell rang to signify the end of the school day. The students exited the school building in waves. Diana, Dino, Todd and Pauleen met up outside to walk together to the dorms. They parted ways and headed to their rooms. Sena and Rupert were already there.

An hour or two passed and suddenly, all their paleopagers lit up and began to beep. The screen read, "New message in inbox." Diana pushed a button and the message appeared.

**Dear students, please assemble in the gymnasium for a special announcement ASAP.**

Dino looked confusedly at Todd, who looked just as confused. The girls were confused as well. Diana shrugged her shoulders and said, "No use worrying, let's go." An idea popped into her head and she smiled brightly, "Sena, why don't you come with us?"

Sena was startled with the sudden request, and for some reason, she could not bring herself to refuse. _Maybe I should take this chance to confirm my suspicions. It will only be for a little while after all._

She nodded her head in agreement, which prompted Pauleen's jaw to drop. The trio left the building and waited outside the male dorms for the others to arrive. Dino was curious about the message and wanted to leave right away.

"Rupert, Todd, let's go to the gym."

Rupert looked up and asked, "Why would I come along with you guys?"

"Well, you weren't in class today so we did not get introduced. Since we're room mates, you should probably introduce yourself to my sister." Dino replied.

Rupert mulled over the proposition. _Well, this gives me a chance to see for myself her supposed ability_. "Whatever, we'll be going in the same direction anyway."

The three boys met up with the girls, Todd and Pauleen were very surprised with the people who decided to tag along. They had some quick introductions; both Rupert and Sena simply nodded their heads. With that over with, the group began to walk over to the gym.

_Why is Rupert here? Oh wait, he and Dino are room mates. Why am I even worrying about this? Every time I see him, I keep thinking strange thoughts_, Diana thought.

At the same time Dino was thinking, _Sena is accompanying us as well? I guess Diana managed to become friends with her. She looks pretty with her hair down…that was very off topic_.

Their vivosaurs, Talia and Spinax both took the opportunity to say the same thing teasingly and slyly respectively. _Looks like somebody has a crush on someone_. The twin siblings felt a blush rising in their cheeks and fought to keep their emotions in check.

The group, along with the many other students of the school filed into the gymnasium, sat in the chairs set up and looked towards the stage. The principal walked up to the podium and addressed the group, with other staff members standing off to the side.

"Today, I have a very important announcement to tell everyone." Mr. Wildwest announced. "Starting tomorrow, a school-wide Fossil Fighter tournament shall start."

The crows erupted into cheers, Diana was surprised, but a grin quickly appeared on her face. Mr. Wildwest waited until the noise died down before he continued.

"Ahem, sign up shall occur afterwards. All those interested head over to the tables over." He motioned over to some tables to one side of the stage.

"That is all, thank you for taking the time to come." He concluded and exited the stage and presumably returned to his office.

Lines were formed as soon as the principal finished talking. Diana, Pauleen and Rupert headed into the line with Dino, Todd and Sena waiting for them to finish.

"Dino, why aren't you participating in the tournament? You seem quite strong, about the same level as Diana." Sena looked curiously at Dino. _Their auras are different colours, but shine with similar brightness_, she thought privately to herself.

"I'm aiming to be researcher, this tournament is also optional." Dino replied. _I could ask the same question to you_, he thought. The true reason he did not want to participate in the tournament was related to a certain someone he had met during his childhood. Dino only fought when really needed, and did not like to show off.

"Point proven" Sena noted, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed against her chest, observing the steady line of people moving forward and exiting the gymnasium.

Todd stood on the other side of Dino, shocked at what he was seeing. Sena, the girl famous for being antisocial, was having a conversation. The shock was short lived, as Diana, Rupert and Pauleen returned after completing the registration process.

En route back towards the group, Rupert turned towards Diana and said, "Well, good luck in the tournament."

Diana gave him a smile, thanked him and said the same. Rupert looked surprised for a moment then turned away, his hand covering the lower half of his face.

_Did I offend him or something?_ Diana thought dejectedly and Talia assured her she was wrong.

Rupert also had thoughts running through his head. _That was surprising; I didn't think she would look so cute like that_._ Hopefully she did not see_.

_This is interesting; you usually don't let other people affect you in any way, especially girls._ His vivosaur, Mapo thought. Rupert ignored the comment and returned his focus to maintaining his composure. His gaze wandered over to where an increasing number of girls were huddled around someone. The boy's head could be seen above the crowd of fan girls.

The boy noticed Rupert and passed through the crowd towards him. He wore a black shirt with a blue jacket that was unzipped and a pair of jeans. His blond hair was rather short; he had blue eyes and a smile on his face. T

The squealing doubled in volume as the girls noticed Rupert. Diana and Pauleen were pushed aside; Pauleen huffed and continued walking towards the rest of the group. Diana decided to wait until Rupert was done, since they came together, they would leaver together.

In the circle, Rupert greeted the boy. "Hello Taylor, what brings you here?"

"Oh, nothing much. Just wanted to warn you that I will defeat you this time." He replied.

Rupert smirked, "We'll see about that, best of luck to you." He turned and exited the circle, grabbed Diana's hand and walked away. "Come on, before they surround me again." He whispered. Diana said nothing and the two returned to the others, who promptly left the room. Taylor watched them leave, his eyes answering Rupert's challenge. The female onlookers glared at the girl who Rupert was walking with.

The group split and returned to their respective rooms. After completing any homework they had received, they all went to bed. Tomorrow would be the first day of the tournament, as well as the opening of a new dig site, Treasure Lake.


	5. Treasure Lake

**This chapter is a bit longer than the others (I think), I was comtemplating splitting it into two, but decided against. This chapter's got the first fossil battles since the intro (just realized as I was writing).**

**I do not own the OC Acilla created by Blossomlight907.**

**Read and Enjoy!**

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As usual, the alarm clock rang, but today Diana and even Pauleen scrambled out of bed to get ready. Sena had given up trying to completely avoid them, since they were room mates and partly due to Diana's happy-go-lucky attitude.

She leaned against the wall near the door, hands in her pockets. In the boy's dorm, Rupert did the same, though for a different reason. He wanted to have a fossil battle with Diana. The group of teens met up outside the dorms and began the trek towards the new opened dig site.

Upon entering the dig site, they were blown away. The scenery was magnificent. The scene was dominated by a large pristine lake with a large skull at its center. The shoreline was grassy and sandy. A large forest surrounded the area on all sides and many people could be seen doing a multitude of activities.

The group followed the path down towards the lake. Unfortunately, there were also reporters; they swarmed around Rupert the moment they caught sight of him.

The reporter asked him a bunch of questions which he answered professionally, though Diana could tell that he was rather annoyed and tired of the attention. Thankfully, they ran out of questions to ask and the reporter and cameraman left the area.

"I thought those two and their questions would never leave." Rupert sighed.

"Doesn't that just mean you're really popular?" Diana giggled.

"Don't we have an assignment to do?" interjected Dino, light bulbs turned on and Todd sweatdropped.

"Oh yeah…We'd better get a start on that huh? Why don't we split up and each take some notes on different things, then come back and share information? That will make the job a lot easier and we'll have more free time."

All the group members agreed and tasks were assigned. Rupert, Diana and Pauleen would go fossil digging for different element vivosaurs. Sena, Dino and Todd would observe the local ecology of trees, grasses and flowers.

After a couple of hours, they were done and it was time for lunch. Diana found a shady shot underneath a tree and waved the others over. Everyone brought out their lunches and proceeded to eat. Sena and Rupert sat slightly away from the group, unsure of where they fit in.

"Why are you with them? I thought you did not socialize with anybody." Rupert asked Sena.

"You do not want to know, nor is it any of your business" was the blunt reply.

Diana looked over and told them to join the circle. Sena sat warily between Dino and Pauleen with Rupert sitting across from her. Once they had all finished eating lunch, the information sharing began. Everyone swapped notes and began to copy, after a while the sheets were filled, just in time as well.

Mr. Physed and a girl slightly older than them appeared at the top of the hill and headed downwards. When he reached the bottom, he put a cupped hand near his mouth, to amplify his voice.

"All students in my class gather around here. NOW!"

The students in the class all began to walk and run towards the teacher, forming a semi-circle around him.

"Before we start, I'd like to introduce someone. This is Acilla, as part of her leadership class, she will be with us for a while as a helper. Go on and introduce yourself."

He motioned towards the girl. She stepped forward and the students got a better look at her.

She had long black hair that was kept out of her face with a headband. She wore a blue shirt, black leggings with a white skirt on top. She stood in front of the crowd of students, took a deep breath and introduced herself.

"Hello, my name is Acilla. I hope to one day become a staff member here at the islands. My vivosaur partner is a Lugmos named Fireblaze." She brought out her dino medal and held it in her palm.

Mr. Physed began to speak again, "Okay, with intros out of the way, let's start with the sparring! Everyone pair up, find an empty spot and begin."

_Better get out of here while I have the chance, I doubt anyone will notice I'm gone_. Sena thought to herself.

_Why don't we find a clearing in the forest and practice by ourselves?_ Compso suggested eagerly, she enjoyed coming out of the medal for some fresh air and exercise.

At the same time, Stephanie was whispering to Mai, "I'm going to teach that new girl a lesson she won't forget!" She was rather annoyed that she did not get to sit beside the new guy transfer student and was stuck with her.

"Sure, I'll get Pauleen, she seems to be sticking with that girl and Sena lately. I'm going to show her what happens to those that befriend prey." Mai smirked.

The two headed over to where Diana, Pauleen and the others were standing. Once again, Rupert was swarmed by fan girls, all wanting to have a chance to battle him.

_Argh, why won't they leave me alone?_ He thought irritably to himself. What he wanted was an interesting battle, a challenge, not this.

Dino and Todd decided to sit out of sparring; they would simply watch the battles that the others fought. As Dino idly looked around, he noticed something was off; he did not see Sena nearby.

His curiosity piqued, he stood up and looked more actively for a sign of a black ponytail and dark clothing. He found her walking away from the group, heading towards the forested area.

_Shouldn't we stay with the others?_ Spinax asked, slight concern in the thought.

_Don't worry about, I'll have plenty of chances to see some fossil battles. Besides, I am curious about where she is going_, Dino thought back.

_You must really like this girl_, Spinax noted.

Dino stopped in his tracks; and strongly denied the observation, though a small voice agreed in the corner of his mind. He shook his head and continued forward.

"Well, how about we spar with each other? Everyone else is either occupied or not here." Diana said to Pauleen who nodded her head in agreement. Stephanie and Mai took that moment and appeared in front of them.

"Why don't we pair up? Since you are new here, it will be good to get to know some more classmates." Stephanie said Mai nodded her head as well. Pauleen felt something was wrong and shot a warning glance at Diana, but she did not notice.

"Okay sure! Let's start battling right away." They split into pairs and found an empty spot, Pauleen and Mai went first. The two girls brought out their medals and threw them calling their vivosaurs out to fight.

"Come on out, Patch!" The medal flashed and a medium sized vivosaur appeared, a pachy. Its body was dark brown with sand coloured rock on its back and the top of its head. Patch roared and poised it self for confrontation.

"Let's go Pleia!" The medal glowed blue light and a rather small aquatic vivosaur appeared, a Plesio. Its body was a darkish blue with light blue spots.

It had four flippers and a long neck with a marking resembling a choker around its neck. It looked quite similar to what one would think the Loch Ness monster's appearance. It hissed back in response to Patch's roar. Somehow, the plesio could float in the air.

Since both fighters were prepared, the battle began.

"Go Patch, head butt the enemy!" Mai ordered, Patch lowered its head, and charged.

_What are we going to do?_ Pleia asked mildly as Patch came running towards them.

_Come on Pleia, you know the drill. Dodge then counterattack, the specifics I'll leave to you_. The Plesio dodged to the side of the attack and bit the enemy. Patch screeched in pain and jumped back.

Mai grit her teeth in frustration and she repeated the command, "Patch, head butt the enemy, this time actually do some damage."

Patch obediently went into an offensive stance, though it was reluctant to charge directly at Pleia. So this time, when Pleia went to counter attack, Patch took the hit and winced. He then turned around and kicked Pleia away with both feet, doing a flip and landed on his feet.

Pleia was knocked back from the strike and she hissed angrily at the Pachy.

_I'm going to finish this in one hit_, Pleia thought angrily.

_My thoughts exactly, I never really like this girl at all_, Pauleen responded.

"Pleia, use your combo attack. Let's finish this!" called Pauleen. Pleia swam forward; snapping at the opponent then circled back and shot a beam of water at Patch.

The enemy had no time to dodge and the attacks hit head on. The vivoaur gave a weak cry and fell to the ground. It returned to its medal form and flew back to Mai's hand. She glared and stomped off while Pauleen caught her medal and did a little victory twirl.

_This looks like a good spot_, Sena thought as she came to a halt. The area was just large enough for a sparring match, devoid of trees for the most part.

_I agree, let's practice!_ Compso thought to Sena, her excitement plainly visible. Sena smiled and brought out the medal. A small brown vivosaur with thin blue stripes on its back appeared.

The two stepped back from each other and eased into a fighting stance. Compso began the sparring match by darting forward and snapping its jaws. However the strike hit empty air as Sena smoothly moved to the side, dodging using the least amount of energy. She counterattacked with a chop aimed at Compso's neck.

The vivosaur did a flip to negate the attack and face her opponent. The moment she landed, Sena rushed forward to strike at Compso's chest. The force of the hit pushed Compso back a few feet. She winced at the stinging pain in her forearms, just barely blocking the blow.

With new determination in her eyes, Compso ran forward and leapt into the air, preparing to deliver a pair of powerful kicks. Sena blocked the hits with her arms and knocked Compso onto her back and kept her pinned.

_I win again Compso_, Sena thought to her partner.

_Darn, will I ever be able to beat you?_ Compso said wistfully.

_Well, you always try the big attacks by themselves. They are too easy to dodge or counterattack. You need to use a more simple attack then follow up. It's the basic of a combo_.

Compso nodded her head, absorbing the information, and then returned to her dino medal.

_She is definitely improving, getting closer to her level_. She mentally berated herself. _There is no use thinking about the past, it only brings pain_.

About a hundred feet away, Dino's mind whirled with confusion. He did not believe what he had just witnessed; a person battling with a vivosaur. That was a first for him…or was it? He had a strange feeling that the scene looked familiar, but he pushed the thought away.

_Maybe in a dream_.

Not wanting to intrude on her privacy anymore than he had already, he turned to walk back towards the lake, where the other students were located. However, he stepped on a twig, which snapped, making a rather large noise.

Sena spun on her heels, locating the general area where the sound was emitted and demanded, "Who is there? Show yourself."

Dino reluctantly stepped into the clearing, trying to come up with an excuse for his presence. Sena walked right up to him, her face a couple of inches away and asked suspiciously, "Did you see?"

All Dino could think of that moment was: _She looks even prettier up close_.

_Aren't you going to answer her question? _Spinax thought, _she does not look very pleased or patient_.

"Well?" Sena asked again, crossing her arms. Dino scratched his head, trying to think of something, but his mind stayed empty. He decided to tell the truth.

"Yes, I did. Don't worry though, I won't tell anyone, it doesn't seem like you want anyone to know."

"Why should I trust you?" Sena asked suspiciously. _Why in the world would he want to help me? He should know that I am the target for bullying_.

"Because we are friends" was the simple reply. Sena was surprised with the statement, the hostility and suspicion faded from her eyes. At that moment, Diana appeared in the clearing as well.

"Hey, where did you guys go? We were supposed to stick together."

Sena was unsure of what to say so Dino made up an explanation.

"Oh, Sena and I decided to have a chat about vivosaurs. This seemed like a nice quiet place. Sorry about not telling you Diana." He said with a smile. Diana nodded her head in understanding and she grinned back.

_All seems well I suppose_, thought Sena. The peace was interrupted moments later as an uprooted tree appeared in the air, hurtling towards the trio, their eyes widened in shock.

The moment seemed to pass in slow moment for Sena. She whipped out Compso's medal and issued a command to block the tree at one end, while she would take the other. The tree was effectively stopped however Compso was visibly struggling with her end.

The pain in her eyes stabbed at her soul and the next movement was instinct. She took one hand off the trunk and turned it into a fist and punched the center of the tree. It burst into two pieces which fell on either side of the three teens and the vivosaur. Only a couple of seconds had actually passed.

Hidden in the cover of the forest, Stephanie and Mai felt their jaws drop. Their surprise attack should have been perfect and caused them to be admitted into the hospital, however the plan had failed. Stephanie grit her teeth in frustration and headed back to the lakeshore. Mai followed suite.

"What just happened there?" Diana asked, still rather shocked from the attack.

"No idea, we'd better return to the others." Sena replied.

_Those two have crossed the line, involving others in their idiotic and dangerous pranks. They need a lesson_. She walked quickly in the direction of the lakeshore with Dino and Diana following.

"Oh no, I think I left Stephanie back at the shore. I was going to battle with her!" realized Diana. The moment she returned to the lake, she searched for the girl. When she found her, she walked over and apologized for leaving unannounced.

"Don't worry about it." Stephanie said to Diana with false sweetness, "We still have time for a fossil battle if we start now." She felt very confident about her chances of victory.

_I doubt that she will be able to defeat Diana_, Sena thought with satisfaction.

The two put some distance between them and summoned their vivosaurs. Diana summoned Talia and Stephanie summoned Goyle. A medium purple coloured vivosaur with short spikes in its back and a spiky clubbed tail. Both vivosaurs roared at their opponents. The battle did not last very long.

"Goyle charge!" commanded Stephanie, the purple vivosaur lumbered forward.

Diana relayed a thought to Talia, who used her long tail as a whip and knocked Goyle off balance. It fell to the ground with a large crash and struggled to get on its feet. Talia finished of with a large stomp that created shockwaves. Goyle was knocked back even more and with a weak cry collapsed and returned to Stephanie's hand.

"Yes! I won!" Diana said, jumping for joy.

Stephanie glared murderously at both her dino medal and Diana. "Useless" she muttered under her breath.

Rupert walked over, finally finding her after she had disappeared. He had sparred, but he had won too easily, it was not a challenge in the slightest. He walked over and was about to ask for a battle when Mr. Physed said to the class.

"Okay, that's all for today. Continue with your day."

_Oh well, I'll get a chance later_. It was about the end of the school day, so Diana and the others headed back towards the dorms.

Once they were back in their rooms, the sound of ringing paleopagers could be heard. The message read that the first round of the tournament would begin in a couple of hours, along with the name of their opponent and time of battle.

Fortunately, all the opponents were people in different classes, people that they did not even know. Diana, Pauleen and Rupert began preparing for their respective battles: thinking of strategies, choosing vivosaurs and boosting morale.

The others watched and did whatever they did during their free time. Finally, the time came for the battles to begin; the six of them met up in front of the dorms and headed towards the gym.


	6. Round 1

**AN: This chapter is a bit shorter than rest, partly due to writer's block but also because I really wanted to start the next chapter.**

* * *

Upon entering the gym, the group was split. The participants in the tournament were required to stay in a waiting area while they waited for their battle to pass. Todd, Dino and Sena went over to the bleachers to find a seat.

Soon after, the battles began, a large variety of vivosaurs were seen and the battles were interesting to watch.

Finally, a familiar name was called, "Could Diana and Tina please come to the field, I repeat, Diana and Tina please come to the field."

Dino could see his sister and another girl walk to the center of the gym, shake hands then headed to their respective sides. The two slid into battle stances and threw their dino medals. A pale purple, long necked vivosaur appeared.

"Let's go Talia!" cried Diana.

Her opponent was a vivosaur that resembled a triceratops with blue skin and red markings. The two vivosaurs stared at each other. The referee waved his hand and the battle began.

"Tricera! Attack! Aim for the legs." Tina commanded.

"Talia! You can do it!" Diana cheered.

_Attack as soon as Tricera gets in range_.

_Got it_, replied Talia.

As soon as Tricera was in reach, Talia whipped her tail, knocking her opponent back. Talia lifted her front legs in preparation for a stomp, however Tricera had already recovered from the previous attack and countered with an upward strike.

This time Talia was knocked back and she winced in pain, determined not to lose concentration for even a second. Talia immediately whipped her tail towards her opponent, stunning him for a fatal moment. Talia stomped and created a shockwave, dealing the final blow. The triceratops vivosaur made one last cry and fell, returning to medal form.

"Winner: Diana." Diana fist pumped the air and the crowd cheered. Todd was jumping for joy, Dino clapped politely and Sena watched the proceedings with interest.

_It seems that my instinct was correct. Now I just need to keep an eye on them_.

Rather haphazardly, Diana decided to go outside for some fresh air. As she headed out, Mai pointed her out and Stephanie grinned wickedly.

"Let's go, she won't know what is coming."

The dastardly duo followed her outside, but their presence was noticed by Sena. Her eyes widened as she pieced together their plan. She got up and quickly followed after them. Dino's face showed concern for the girl as she left, but decided to stay where he was.

_She can handle herself_.

_Are you sure about that?_ Spinax asked.

Meanwhile outside, Diana stretched her arms and took a deep breath, thoroughly enjoying the scent of nature. Unknown to her, Stephanie was approaching from behind, with Mai following close by.

When Sena entered the back, Stephanie was a few steps away from clubbing Diana. Sena mustered all her speed and dashed in between the two girls. A loud 'bam' was heard and Diana spun on her heels and stared in shock at the scene before her.

Stephanie's makeshift club had connected with Sena's head. Mai was also shocked; Sena had appeared out of nowhere. The viciousness in Stephanie's eyes was replaced with surprise as she realized she had hit the wrong target. Sena grabbed Stephanie's collar and brought her face close.

"Its fine that you target me, but keep my friends out of it." She whispered fiercely, barely disguising her anger.

Stephanie shrank back, Sena's eyes, or at least the eye that was uncovered, seemed more beast-like. She nodded her head and Sena released her. Stephanie backed away and quickly walked towards the doors, followed by Mai.

The moment they left, Diana approached Sena to check for injuries. The side of her head was slightly bleeding from the strike, but the blood had already dried and Sena told her that it was no big deal. Even outside, the sudden cheers from the gym could be heard.

"Seems like Rupert is battling next?" Sena noted, Diana nodded her head and responded,

"I guess so; we'd better go back inside."

The two girls returned inside and parted ways. Dino waved at Sena to show their position among the crowd. When she sat down, Dino noticed something barely visible under hair. He reached over, lifted a lock of her hair and noticed the injury. Sena turned and slapped his hand away.

"What happened to you?" he asked. Sena turned her attention towards the fight that was ensuing. "Nothing."

He sighed, got up and left towards the washroom. When he returned, he handed her a bandage. Sena nodded her head in thanks and applied the bandage. The fight between Rupert and his opponent did not last long, he won easily and the crowd (mostly his fan girls) started to cheer wildly.

The final battle for the day was Pauleen and another girl. In the end Pauleen won, though Pleia had some trouble with her opponent's high resilience.

With the final battle done, Mr. Wildwest appeared and waited for the crowd to quiet down.

"Tomorrow, a new dig site shall be open for people to visit; the Jungle Labyrinth. As well, in a couple of days, the next round of the tournament shall take place. Good luck to all those participating and I wish you all the best in your studies." He then left the room and the students began to file out.

The group met up again and congratulated each other on their victories, and then they headed towards the dorms. The guys and the girls split up and went to their rooms. Night came and everyone went to sleep, dreaming of the adventures to be had in the newly opened dig site.


	7. Jungle Labyrinth

**Sorry for the wait! I had severe writer's block and reluctance. My hard drive also crashed, losing a page of text.**

* * *

The bell rang signaling the end of the school day and as usual students were pouring out from the doors. Diana was especially excited today, the group would be finally visiting the new dig site. Many others had also been impatient for the end of the day for the same reason.

While the group headed outside, they noticed a rather large group of students gathered. Rupert recognized Taylor among the crowd, Diana and Dino recognized the girl who had helped out during their first sparring class.

Acilla was standing in the middle of the crowd, along with two other boys. One of them looked injured; his arm was in a cast. The group hushed as one of the boys began to speak.

"You'd guys better be careful if you decide to visit the new dig site, Jungle Labyrinth. There was a rumor about a monster in the woods. I did not believe it and look what it got me." He raised his injured arm for the people to see.

Fear and worry rippled throughout and Diana heard some nervous chatter. Acilla looked pensively, questioning the validity of the guy's story. Taylor stepped forward and said, "Well, we should probably have someone investigate."

Diana grabbed the two nearest her, who happened to be Sena and Rupert and walked forward.

"We volunteer!" she said cheerfully, ignoring the surprised reactions of the students and her friends.

Taylor nodded his head, "Okay, we'll leave you to it. I'll give you my paleopager number so message me if anything happens."

Rupert interrupted, "Its fine Taylor, I'll be going as well and I already have your contact information."

"If we're done, then let's go! Come on!" She started to walk in the direction of the dig site, Sena and Rupert followed close behind. Dino, Pauleen and Todd walked around the group and met up with them. Together the group of teens entered the Jungle Labyrinth in search of the dangerous and vicious monster.

As one could gather from the name of the dig site, the Jungle Labyrinth was a tropical forest teeming with lush green plant life. It would be easy to get lost and lose sense of direction. In front of the forest's entrance, the group had temporarily stopped to think up a plan of action.

"We should probably split up, we'll cover more ground." Suggested Dino, the others nodded and promptly split into groups. Diana, Pauleen and Sena would search the northern half, while Dino, Rupert and Todd would search the other. They waved goodbye and each wished the other good luck.

Back at the academy, the two victims began to worry.

"What if those people find the monster?" The guy glared at him and he stopped talking. As they headed towards a shortcut they had found earlier, they came upon Stephanie and Mai.

"I can't stand this! They need to be taught a lesson!" Stephanie raged and Mai nodded in agreement. They turned around and noticed the two guys.

"Hey! What's up with you?" The girls turned around to face the source of the voice.

"Oh, it's just you two…" An idea sprung into her head. "Can I ask you guys a favor?"

The girls had reached a rather large clearing and decided to once again split up to cover more ground. Sena went ahead while Diana and Pauleen thoroughly searched the clearing for signs of the monster. Unbeknownst to them, the two guy witnesses were also there watching them.

"Ok, there they are, but I don't see the one with dark hair." One said worriedly to the other.

"Don't worry about it, we'll just grab these two and use them as bait." They grinned deviously at each other and separated.

One of them grabbed a stone he had found on the ground earlier. The first one crept behind Pauleen and pinned her arms to her side, covering her mouth with his hand at the same time. She made a startled gasp that was cut short; however Diana turned around and saw.

"Hey! What are you…" Her words were cut off as the other guy hit her on the head with the rock Diana crumpled to the ground, the last thing she saw before blacking out was the silhouettes of the kidnappers.

A small distance away, Sena turned to face the clearing where she had left Diana and Pauleen, her instincts warning her that something was amiss. She quickly walked back to the clearing only to find it empty.

_Where could they be? Whoever did this better be ready to pay_.

She scoured the area, looking for clues, she noticed an area trampled grass that seemed rather large. It looked somewhat like a path, so Sena began to run along the path. A couple hundred metres away, the forest gave way to another clearing, when Sena entered, she saw the scene and narrowed her eyes angrily.

Two guys that Sena recognized as the victims from the monster attack had tied up and gagged both Pauleen and Diana. Pauleen was tied to a tree and struggling against the bonds, while Diana lay on the ground not moving. Nearby, there was a machine that was poorly made and did not resemble a vivosaur or monster in the slightest.

_The whole story was a lie_, Sena realized.

"What do you think you are doing?" She asked, her neutral tone disguising the anger directed towards the two. They spun around, obviously not expecting company.

"She must that girl with the dark hair, Sena." One of the guys said and the other nodded his head. "Well, we'd better keep our end of the bargain."

"What bargain?" Sena asked as she eased into a battle stance.

"None of your business! Anyway, you'd better not try anything funny, unless you want your friends to pay the price."

Sena glared at the kidnappers, but returned her stance to normal. One of the guys threw a medal and a Nigo came out. The large gray vivosaur roared, showing it green beard and its long tail swished from side to side.

Its owner came foreward and grinned, "This is going to be fun." The other went to where Diana and Pauleen were, to keep an eye on them.

Dino, Todd and Rupert were not having any luck either, though they had searched most of the area.

"You don't think that the monster is in the area that Diana and the others were looking in?" Todd asked worriedly.

"Should we look for them then?" Rupert suggested but Dino shook his head, "I think they can manage on their own. All three of them are pretty strong. We'll meet up with at the meeting spot."

After a while, the trio walked back to the entrance of the jungle, however the girls were nowhere to be seen. They silently nodded to each other and returned into the jungle, in the direction of the area where the girls were searching.

The three guys also reached the clearing where Diana and Pauleen were kidnapped. As they searched, Dino found some traces of a struggle. He paled upon further inspection; there were droplets of blood that had not fully dried dotted on the ground. A rock with more blood was nearby.

"Guys, you should come see this." Dino said in a small voice, dread beginning to seep into him. Todd and Rupert paled as well as they saw the blood.

"Whose blood is it?" Rupert asked, Dino just shrugged his shoulders. Todd noticed more disturbed grass and the three of them followed the path.

Faint noises could be heard as they continued on, when the sound was loud enough to understand the words being spoken, the three guy ducked behind a bush and peeked through the gaps in the foliage.

"What is happening!? Why won't you fall!?" A guy standing near a Nigo angrily said. He then ordered the vivosaur to attack. From where they were, they could not see who it was however they could guess the damage caused by the attack from the noise of the impact.

"Grrr! If you want to keep your friends safe, then die!" Sena grit her teeth and mentally prepared herself for what she had to do.

Dino, Todd and Rupert turned their gaze to the other side of the clearing, where they saw Pauleen and Diana, who was still unconscious. Anger surged through their veins like fire; it took a lot of self control to not jump out of the bushes and attack those two.

"Nigo, attack!" One guy called out for the umpteenth time, however this time, instead of nullifying the force of the hit, Sena lightly jumped in the air and let the attack send her flying. She smashed into a tree and purposely fell to the ground, the attack left an imprint in the tree. To add to the effect that she was in serious pain, she groaned.

_That vivosaur's attacks are nothing compared to what I have been through. Good thing that normal humans should not be able to take attacks from vivosaurs_.

"There, Sena and those other girls have been taught a lesson." The Nigo's fossil fighter said triumphantly, the guy who was guarding Diana and Pauleen smirked, "Let's have some fun then…" He reached for the closest girl, who happened to Diana.

Back in the bushes, Dino's eyes widened in shock as he realized that the 'target' of the attacks was Sena. Rupert was very angry as well. Todd shrank away as a literal aura of fury surrounded them.

Simultaneously, Dino and Rupert burst out from the bushes with Todd following close behind. Both whipped out their dino medals and released their vivosaurs, Spinax; a large blue-green vivosaur with large spines and Mapo; a light gray vivosaur with markings of a darker gray along with horns on its head.

_Spinax, deal with Nigo, I'm going to Sena to make sure she is alright. _

_Sure thing Dino_, Spinax replied and he dashed forward.

Nigo tried to attack as Spinax approached, but it was too slow. Spinax tackled Nigo, the force sent it sliding backwards. Nigo tried to counterattack with a tail swipe, however there was not enough room. With another tackle from Spinax, Nigo gave a weak cry and returned to medal form and landed back in its owner's hand, who glared at Dino.

Dino glared back, forcing the guy to retreat away. He reached Sena and lifted her to semi sitting position, supporting her head with one arm. Surprisingly (to him at least), Sena stood up and brushed herself off.

"Sena, are you okay?" He asked concernedly.

"Don't worry, I have been through worse." Sena replied, _much, much worse_, she thought privately to herself.

She had some bruises and her back was sore, but those would be gone in the next few days. The two walked towards the others.

While Dino was battling with one of the guys, Rupert was battling with the other. The battle, if it could be considered that, was pitifully short. His opponent was a Raja, a brown vivosaur with red and white markings.

A single combo attack consisting of a tackle and a body slam sent his opponent back into medal form. He like the other guy, backed away and the two ended up equal distances away from the two groups. Todd and Rupert untied Pauleen and Diana respectively.

When Pauleen was freed, she exclaimed angrily, "Just wait until I get my hands on you!"

She began to advance towards the kidnappers, her dino medal in hand. The kidnappers shrank away in fear, thankfully for them; Todd stopped her from advancing too far. Rupert supported Diana as she regained consciousness. Her eyes blinked open and Rupert was dazed.

_Her eyes are so pretty, she looks so…delicate_.

Diana sat up, groaned and rubbed her head. "Are you feeling alright?" Rupert asked, Diana nodded and her gaze focused on the two kidnappers, remembering the events that led up to her losing consciousness she got up and advanced towards them.

To the two kidnappers, a menacing aura was emitted from Diana as she advanced, their fear turned into horror. This time Rupert stopped her due to her possibly having a concussion from her injury.

Stella, Acilla and Taylor arrived in the clearing and took the troublemakers into custody. The two would be severely punished for their misdeeds. Stella thanked the group for taking care of the issue and allowing the students to safely explore the new dig site.

Tired from the day's events, Diana and company returned to their respective rooms and prepared for bed. They all were looking forward to tomorrow because it was the start of the weekend.

* * *

**Next chapter: R&R for the characters and the relationships between the pairs begin to form.**


	8. Halloween Dance

**I made a mix up about the chapter content. The r&r during the week-end will be next chapter. Like the title says, this chapter is about everyone attending a Halloween dance.**

**Read and Enjoy!**

* * *

"Okay, put down your pens and pencils. Hand your tests forward and I shall collect them." Mr. Travis addressed his class; there were some groans from people who did not finish in time. The bell rang just as he finished collecting the test papers and everyone left the classroom.

Diana, Dino, Todd and Pauleen walked together to the cafeteria, along the way they saw Sena and Rupert. Sena was also walking towards the cafeteria while Rupert was attempting to do the same. He was surrounded once again by a large group of girls; upon closer inspection they all seemed to have packages.

"Rupert, what are you dressing up as?" One girl asked, the others stared expectantly at him.

He replied, "I do not know at the moment."

That was the wrong answer; the girls huddled together and whispered amongst themselves. When they were done, one girl stepped forward and handed Rupert a package and the group dispersed.

_Probably should have said something_, he thought.

_Yes you should have_, Mapo agreed. He looked up as Diana and the others walked over.

"What was that about?" Diana asked, pointing at the package in his hands.

Rupert shrugged his shoulders and said, "I am assuming it is a Halloween costume that they want me to wear."

"That reminds me! Tonight is the Halloween dance. We are all going and dressing up." Said Pauleen excitedly, Diana and Todd nodded enthusiastically.

"I think I will pass." Dino said, and Diana gave him her puppy dog look. "Why not? It will be a lot of fun!"

Dino sighed, "Even if I wanted to go, I do not have a costume."

"I have a spare costume from last year, you could borrow that." Rupert suggested. With the problem solved and no chance for Dino to argue, Rupert joined the group in walking down the hallway and caught up with Sena.

"Sena, are you going to the Halloween dance tonight?" Diana asked, Sena turned around and shook her head.

_Halloween, the one day of the year where everyone dresses up as something they are not, though I do that everyday_, she noted ironically.

_You should go! You could have some fun for a change_, Compso added eagerly, _I can not wait to see the costumes_.

"You don't have a costume either?" Diana asked, and Pauleen interjected, "I have an old costume that Sena can borrow." Before Sena could reply to the statement, the group had already reached the cafeteria.

After lunch, the classes continued on as usual. Finally, the final bell rang and Diana and the others walked back towards the dorms. They waved farewell and agreed to meet at that spot in a couple of hours for the dance.

"I do not think I will attend this dance." Sena said as they entered the rooms, Diana turned and asked, "Please come, it will be fun."

Sena could not say no so she sighed and said, "So where is that old costume Pauleen?"

_I can never seem to say no to her_.

Pauleen opened her closet and brought out a black and purple Victorian style dress along with a decorative mask.

"What exactly is this supposed to be?"

"A mysterious, high class lady." Pauleen replied.

Sena took the dress and mask and thought to herself, _it could have been worse. Maybe I will dress up a bit for a change_.

_That's the spirit! _Compso cheered, happy that her friend had decided to be more social.

Before she changed into the costume, Sena finished all the homework due the next day. Diana and Pauleen also finished their homework. They brought out their costumes and proceeded to change. Once Sena had finished changing, she opened a drawer and brought out her rarely used cosmetics bag and went into the washroom.

Sena carefully applied some lip gloss, eye makeup and let down her hair. Grabbing a hairbrush, she gave it a few good brushes to get rid of any tangles; lastly she put on the mask. When she exited, Diana and Pauleen were waiting at the door. Diana was wearing a white kimono with light blue snowflake designs at the edges.

She had also let her hair down, and kept her bangs out of her face with a barrette shaped like a snowflake. Pauleen had kept her hair in pigtails and she wore a brown fedora like hat with adventurer's clothing. She also had sturdy boots and a belt which had a fake knife and a whip.

"So what are you dressed up as?" Sena asked as she looked them over.

"I'm a yukionna, a snow woman in English. It is a creature from Japanese tales that can control ice and snow." Diana explained, Pauleen began to explain after Diana had finished.

"I'm Indiana Jane, fearless explorer." Sena looked confusedly at Pauleen, she had only heard of a character named Indiana Jones, Diana was slightly confused as well.

"She is the female version of Indiana Jones." The confusion cleared up, the three girls exited their dorm building and waited for the guys to arrive.

While the girls were preparing, the guys were doing the same. When Dino, Todd and Rupert had returned to their room, Rupert brought his old costume. It was a Victorian style suit and a decorative mask, though not as decorative as the one that Sena was wearing.

Dino looked at the costume and asked, "Rupert, what exactly am I going to be?"

"A mysterious gentleman." Rupert replied and checked the contents of the bag he had received.

"Seems like I shall be going as a vampire." The costume included a cape, fake vampire fangs, a top and bottom.

"I'm going as an archeologist." Todd added as he brought out his costume and tapped his hat.

All three of them changed and headed outside. Dino kept the mask off, deciding to wear it once they reached the dance. The group met outside the dorms and both sides were surprised, for various reasons.

"Who is that behind you?" Todd asked, pointing at the disguised Sena, Diana and Pauleen started to giggle.

"What is so funny?" Todd asked.

Sena stepped forward and removed her mask, Todd and Dino's jaws dropped.

"What the?! That was Sena?!" Todd exclaimed as he jumped back.

_She looks so elegant and graceful_, Dino thought, Spinax snickered but Dino ignored him.

"Looks like we make a pair." Sena noted and Dino realized the two of them were both wearing the same style of clothing.

_He does not look half bad in those clothes_, she thought privately to herself.

Something similar happened between Diana and Rupert. It took him a few moments to realize that the girl in the kimono was actually Diana, she looked different from the usual.

"You usually don't let your hair down." He said, still collecting his thoughts.

"It goes better with the costume, otherwise my hair always flies into my face." Diana explained, "The costume suits you."

Rupert's cheeks pinked, but it was too dark for anyone to really notice, for which he was thankful. Each person told the others what their costume was, once completed the group headed towards the gym where the dance was taking place.

Just before entering, Sena said to Dino, "We had better put our masks on; we would not be mysterious if people knew our identities."

Dino nodded his head and the two placed their masks on.

_Honestly, I think you simply wearing the costume with makeup on is enough to mystify people_, though he kept the statement to himself.

Sena also had another reason for wearing the mask. _If people found out who I am, they would probably do something that would ruin the costume, then I wouldn't be able to return it to Pauleen_.

The gymnasium was full of people. Music was blaring and multicolored lights danced around the room. To the side there were tables of snacks and drinks as well as bleachers for people to sit when they got tired.

Once they entered, they were greeted by Taylor and Acilla. Taylor was wearing casual clothing but had a fake tail, ears and claws. He had also worn contacts to change the color of his eyes. Acilla was wearing a policewoman costume with a cap and a baton.

"So you two are a werewolf and a policewoman?" Dino questioned and the two nodded their heads.

"I am here to ensure that nothing gets out of hand. The costume suits my job." Acilla explained and the others agreed with the statement.

"I am helping out with greeting newcomers." Taylor said as he brought out a list.

"There are also prizes to be won for a multitude of categories, and there is a surprise for the last dance of the night." He said mysteriously.

At this point, Sena had a suspicion that the similarity between the costumes that she and Dino wore was not a coincidence, though she pushed the thought away due to lack of evidence.

Once the group was done talking, Taylor left to greet some more guests and Acilla continued to patrol around the dance floor. Both Dino and Sena were not inclined to dance, so they walked over to the snack table and then over to the bleachers to watch.

Diana, Todd and Pauleen went onto the dance floor and had a great time. Rupert attempted to walk over to te bleachers, however he was soon once again surrounded by an excited mob of girls wanting to dance. By the time he had managed to reach the bleachers, he was exhausted.

"Are you okay?" Dino asked as Rupert sat down beside them.

Rupert shook his head, "This happens every year, I wonder why I bother."

"I'll go get you something to drink; I doubt you want to go through that group again." Sena offered and she stood up and headed towards the snack table.

"I will go with you, I'll get some food." Dino said and got up as well. The two arrived at the table.

"Excuse me; I would like three glasses of juice." Sena asked the guy at the punch bowl.

The guy seemed frozen for a moment, the filled the glasses with juice and handed them over. Sena thanked him and returned to the bleachers. Dino took a bit longer because there were quite a few choices of foods to eat.

As he headed back to the bleachers, he heard the guy giving out drinks say to the person beside him, "Did you see that girl? She was so cute; did someone like that enroll here?"

Dino fought the urge to laugh and thought to himself, _I wonder what they would think if they knew that the 'cute' girl they say was actually Sena_.

Dino handed Rupert some food while Sena handed out a drink. The three of them sat and ate while watching the festivities.

"Do you have any idea what the surprise at the end of the dance is?" Sena asked suddenly.

"Not sure but I have an idea. Last year they had a draw to see would have the last dance with me, and they another draw where people could enter pairs that would be forced to dance if picked." Rupert said, and Dino raised an eyebrow.

Before Rupert could say a comeback to Dino, the music stopped and an MC went on stage with a spotlight. "Ladies and gentleman, it is now time for the last dance of the evening. Continuing the tradition from last year some will be forced to dance."

Another guy with a list appeared and proceeded to read. "This year, the girl that will dance with Rupert is Diana."

Diana was shocked, "I did not enter any draw for this?!" All the other girls looked enviously at her, or were too depressed to do so.

"Could Rupert and Diana please come near stage please?" the MC called, the two complied and headed over as quickly as possible.

"Now for best paired couple costumes." The guy began to read a list of names and the corresponding people made their way to the stage. Pairs dressed as Romeo and Juliet, twins, witch and wizard and others appeared.

Then he added, "The pair dressed in Victorian style clothing."

Sena and Dino sat frozen momentarily, "You did not enter us in the draw?"

"No I did not."

"I guess we have no choice."

The two got up and walked to the stage together. Todd and Pauleen had also been called earlier. It seems the entire group was surprised with the results.

"Actually, Pauleen and I decided to enter you guys in the draw." Todd admitted sheepishly.

"Great! Now I don't have to feel guilty anymore." Diana said cheerfully.

"Is that due to the fact that you entered Todd and Pauleen?" Sena asked and Diana nodded her head. The group had a few laughs, but were interrupted by the MC.

"Now everyone, let's give a hand to our 'winners'!" The people called up were then brought up on stage for everyone to see.

When Sena and Dino came on, the MC said, "And our final pair, the mysterious lady and gentleman. Could you please remove your masks?" Sena and Dino looked at each other, nodded and took off their masks, revealing their identities.

The entire crowd was shocked speechless for a moment. No one thought that Sena would even attend the event, let alone be a 'mysterious beauty'. The two took the chance and quickly walked off stage.

The final song of the dance, a waltz began to play. Those who were not drawn paired up freely and began to dance. Both Pauleen and Todd did not know how so they simply slow danced, holding each others hands and swaying to the music.

"Umm, I have no idea how to do this." Diana whispered to Rupert as they got into position.

"Do not worry, I will lead." He whispered back and true to his word, Diana did not find the dance to awkward and she managed to not step on his feet.

"Do you know how to waltz?" Sena asked as they two got into position to dance.

Dino nodded his head, "No formal training, but I did once when I was younger." The two began to dance gracefully.

Near the end, Sena looked at Dino and said, "Thank you." The corners of her mouth lifted into a smile. Dino blushed and was shocked speechless momentarily. He had never seen her smile before and to him, she looked even prettier.

_He is cute when he does that_, Sena thought grinning.

The music began to fade and the pairs broke away. The group met up again and returned to the dorms, it was getting late. They waved goodbye, returned to their rooms and removed their costumes.

The moon was high in the sky as the students of the academy crept into their beds for sleep. The fun was not end for in a couple of days, there would be an extended weekend for the students.


	9. The Week End

**Sorry for the long wait. R&R&R.**

**I do not own the song "Snowbird" by Anne Murray.**

* * *

Sena and Dino

Everyone woke up a bit late, due to the fact that there were no classes. Sena woke up and looked at the calendar hanging on the wall.

_So today has come again_. Diana and Pauleen woke up as well and the three exited the dorms and met up the guys.

"I am going into town; I need to do some shopping." Diana said, while Rupert said he would be doing the same.

"I'll be gone for the day." Sena said. The others did not know their plans for the day. The group split and continued on.

Dino noticed that Sena was walking along an unused path; curious he followed behind her.

_You seem to be doing that a lot_, Spinax thought slyly.

_None of your business_, Dino thought angrily back, his cheeks threatening to turn pink.

Dino followed Sena into the forest and stopped a distance away to avoid detection. Sena stopped in a clearing with a tree stump and brought out her dino medal. Compso appeared in a flash of light.

_It's been a couple of years, has it not? _Sena thought to Compso.

_Yeah I agree_. Sena brought out a tablet of some sort and placed it carefully on the stump. After squinting at the object, Dino realized that it was a memorial tablet.

"It has been a while, but I will never forget you guys. Your deaths will not have been in vain, **he** will be punished, and I'll make sure of that." Sena said to the tablet, the two dipped their heads in respect.

_You should sing that song_, Compso thought and Sena nodded her head. She sat down, opened her mouth and began to sing.

_Beneath it's snowy mantle cold and clean,  
The unborn grass lies waiting for its coat to turn to green.  
The snowbird sings the song he always sings,  
And speaks to me of flowers that will bloom again in spring.  
When I was young my heart was young then, too.  
And anything that it would tell me, that's the thing that I would do.  
But now I feel such emptiness within,  
For the thing that I want most in life's the thing that I can't win._

Spread your tiny wings and fly away,  
And take the snow back with you where it came from on that day.  
The one I love forever is untrue,  
And if I could you know that I would fly away with you.

The breeze along the river seems to say,  
That he'll only break my heart again should I decide to stay.  
So, little snowbird, take me with you when you go,  
To that land of gentle breezes where the peaceful waters flow.

Spread your tiny wings and fly away,  
And take the snow back with you where it came from on that day.  
The one I love forever is untrue,  
And if I could you know that I would fly away with you.  
Yeah, if I could I know that I would fly away with you.

Dino stood mesmerized by the singing. _Her voice is so beautiful_, he thought.

Spinax snickered, but Dino was too distracted to notice. As Sena finished the song, she noticed that there was an unknown presence in the clearing.

She motioned to Compso to be on her guard, after pinpointing the location of the presence, she leapt forward and knocked it down. A stick she had found nearby was pressed against its throat. One moment, Dino was watching Sena, the next a blur appeared in front of him and he felt the ground underneath his back.

He winced as his breathing was restricted and let out a gasp of pain. When Sena realized the identity of the person she had knocked over, she scrambled off him.

"Sorry about that, I did not see you there." Sena said as she extended a hand to help Dino up.

"Oh, don't worry about that, I probably should have said something." Dino said sheepishly and added, "You sing very well. Are you a part of the choir or the drama club?"

Sena laughed and replied, "Who would allow me to join their club?"

Compso walked over and grabbed Dino's sleeve and then pointed over at the spot she and Sena had been sitting previously.

"Why don't we sit and chat?" Sena asked, Dino nodded and the two sat down together.

Dino also brought out Spinax's dino medal and the large green-blue vivosaur appeared. The two spent the afternoon having a pleasant conversation about multiple different subjects. The two felt a strange sense of deja-vu, though neither of them could explain why.

At the same time, Compso and Spinax were having a conversation as well.

_It is nice to see Sena finally opening up to someone_, Compso thought happily.

_Well, this is the first time I have seen Dino really interested in a girl_, Spinax added.

_We should try and get them together!_ Compso exclaimed.

Spinax smiled evilly and replied, _that sounds like an interesting idea_.

Sena and Dino were completely unaware of the two vivosaur's plans and continued talking.

After some time had passed, Sena said, "We should probably head back now, it would not be good to stay out here after it gets dark."

Dino nodded his head in agreement, and the two stood up and returned down the path which they had walked earlier that day.

Diana and Rupert

Due to the fact that the two of them were heading into town, Diana and Rupert walked together towards their destination.

"So, what are you doing in town?" Diana asked, Rupert simply replied, "Spending a day relaxing without having to worry about mobs of girls."

Diana nodded pensively, _it must be quite stressful_, she thought to herself.

The two waved goodbye and headed their separate ways. Being efficient, Diana found a map and planned out a route to spend the least amount of time possible doing what needed to be done. Unfortunately, her plans were nipped at the bud.

She had just exited the first store on her list, when a guy bumped into her. Before she could say anything he clamped a hand over her mouth and pulled her into an alley nearby. Diana tried to struggle but it was useless, soon after she heard the sound of many feet as a mob of girls ran by.

She did not make out anything they were saying however because she was too preoccupied with where the guy's other hand was. The grip loosened and she broke free, spun around and faced the guy. Her face was red with embarrassment and she glared while preparing a fist to strike.

"Diana?!" The guy said, Diana froze and took a closer look at the guy in front of her.

"Rupert?! Is that you? What is going on here?"

Rupert had his hands in front of him, trying to pacify her. "Why don't we go somewhere else and I'll explain." Diana nodded, the blush receding and the two walked back onto the street.

On route to a small café nearby, Rupert explained that he had attempted to disguise himself, however it did work and he was consequently chased by a mob. He ran for about ten minutes before he accidentally bumped into someone. With quick thinking, he ducked into an alley; unfortunately he took that person with him; who turned out to be Diana.

"Sorry about that." He said, "Why don't I accompany you to make up for it somehow?" Diana did not see any problem with that, so the two teens spent the day walking around town. Before doing so, both Rupert and Diana felt that they needed disguises.

"It would be bad if another mob appears, and if they identify you." Rupert said, Diana nodded in agreement, "Oh, this works out well then."

Rupert looked at her in confusion as they entered a clothing store. They parted ways to buy some clothes. Rupert changed out of his usual red coat with one that was navy blue. He also grabbed a hat to cover most of his hair from view.

After looking in a mirror and satisfied with the results, he walked over to the register and paid for the purchases. Holding the bag with his regular clothes, he walked over to the change room where Diana was still getting ready.

"Are you done yet?" Rupert asked. "Almost…done!"

The door opened and Rupert could not believe his eyes. Diana had let down her hair and was wearing a lavender skirt with a purple top. She seemed to sparkle, when she walked over, he dropped his bag in surprise. "Diana?" He asked tentatively.

"Yes? What is it?" She replied. "You look…very cute." He said slowly, still digesting the fact that Diana was standing in front of him.

"If you are wondering about the clothes, my mom said that I should have more girly clothes. These ones aren't too bad." Diana explained, she then paid for her purchases and the two exited the store.

With the disguises set, they spent the day in peace, though both realized that the other had multiple people staring at them wherever they went, but the person in question seemed to take no notice.

After a few hours, Rupert glanced at his watch, "It is getting late, we should probably start heading back." Diana agreed and the two walked back towards the dorms.

Todd and Pauleen

In the biggest mall in town, Todd found Pauleen standing outside a jewelry store.

"What are you doing?" He asked as he walked towards her.

Pauleen spun around in surprise. "Oh, hello Todd. I did not expect to see you here."

Todd noticed that she looking mostly at the bracelets on display. "Why are you looking at there? Aren't you already wearing one?" He motioned towards the bracelet on her wrist.

"This is something that is I need to wear everyday. It is not an accessory." Todd nodded in understanding, he waved goodbye and walked away.

"I wish I didn't have to wear it all the time though…" Pauleen whispered to herself.

Everyone

Coincidently, everyone ended up meeting up in front of the dorms. There was a little teasing between them; no one turned noticeably red. The sun was beginning to set so the group said their good byes and entered their rooms. Everyone fell asleep; tomorrow a new dig site on a new island was going to be unveiled.


	10. Mt Krakanak

"Come on Dino! I am going to leave without you!" Diana called from the seat of the helicopter as it prepared for takeoff. Dino rushed forward and got in just in time.

"You are really looking forward to this aren't you?" He asked between breaths.

"Too bad the others could not come with us." Diana nodded her head in agreement.

About ten minutes later, the copter touched down; the twins had arrived on Cranial Isle. Wasting no time, Diana grabbed Dino's arm and dragged him towards the only dig site open at the moment; Mt. Krakanak.

The entire area was rock and in the background, stood a large volcano. From where they were standing, a trail snaking along the side of the volcano could be seen. They spent relatively little time in the first area; it was just a flat rocky plain. Diana and Dino found some new fossil rocks, but nothing rare enough to warrant a fossil battle.

"I seem to be having no luck today." Diana sad sullenly. "Not a single fossil battle to be found."

"You really enjoy the battles don't you?" Dino teased, he was satisfied with the new rocks he could study.

"Maybe there will be somebody up ahead!" She pointed excitedly at a rope bridge and ran ahead. At the beginning of the bridge, they were met with a surprise; Rupert was standing with a robot.

"What are you doing here Rupert?" Diana asked, Rupert seemed surprised as well, "My father sent me to test this new product, Di66-R a robot to excavate and clean fossils for the fighters."

"Will it be popular?" Dino asked pensively, Rupert looked confusedly at him.

"Well, I enjoy digging up fossils. I would not need this robot to help." Diana explained, "Dino feels that way as well." Rupert looked deep in thought as he took in the comments.

Suddenly, the robot beside him went haywire, spouting nonsense. It knocked Rupert to the ground and took off. Diana offered a hand to the fallen teen.

"This is bad, it had a dino medal. I have to stop it!" Rupert said and started to chase after the runaway robot.

"Let us help!" Diana said and began to chase as well, giving Rupert no chance to refuse. Dino shrugged his shoulders and gave chase as well. Fortunately, the robot stopped moving halfway up the slope, giving the trio time to catch up.

"Looks like the only way to return it to normal is to defeat it in a fossil battle." Rupert brought out his medal, but was stopped by Diana.

"Let me, I have been itching for a fight all day."

Rupert looked to Dino who said, "Just let her, she will defeat it in no time at all."

The robot and Diana both threw their respective medals and their vivosaurs materialized. Talia emerged with a roar and faced the enemy in front of her; a Tohpis. The rather large white snake hissed back.

After a moment, the battle began. Tophis lunged forward, sharp fangs gleaming. Talia moved back and charged forward for a counterattack. The charge pushed the snake back, but did not stun long enough for another attack.

_Physical attacks do not seem to stun, let's try another tactic_, Diana relayed the plan to Talia.

She stopped, opened her mouth and a blast of water rushed toward the target. Tophis was pushed into the air, leaving it vulnerable to attack. Talia slammed down her tail, making a small crater. Tophis let out one last, weak hiss before returning to medal form.

After some more gibberish, the robot reset and seemed to be functioning once again.

"Now, all that is left is the top!" Diana said and ran up the hill. Rupert and Dino walked behind her.

They were then stopped by a large boulder. Diana had her pickaxe and was trying to break it; she was not having much luck.

"Here, let Di66-R help." Rupert said and the robot began to break apart the boulder, however half way through the robot's energy level was getting low.

Diana once again began to help the robot, the act of friendship somehow recharged the battery and soon the boulder was a pile of rubble at their feet. With the way clear, Diana ran ahead with Rupert and Dino behind her.

"Dino, I have something to ask you." Rupert asked, and the two guys stopped momentarily.

"What is it?" Dino asked, "Is Diana always like this?" Dino thought for a while and responded, "Yes, I would say so. She handles herself fine, though if something happens I am her backup. Usually nothing happens."

A loud impact sound interrupted the conversation. Dino froze; his instincts were telling him that something had happened to Diana. Without another word, he sprinted up the hill and came face to face with two goons wearing costumes that made them resemble skeletons.

Moving his field of vision, he found Diana. She was on the ground, and unconscious, an imprint in the rock wall above her. He snapped; to Rupert is seemed as though a murderous aura surrounded Dino.

"Rupert, take care of Diana. I will deal with these two." He said, his anger was clear to those around him.

The two costumed people laughed and said, "We are a part of the Bare Bones Brigade, aiming to destroy the tournament. Our leader has provided us with special vivosaurs, Boneysaurs! You will never be able to defeat them!"

Dino did not care how powerful they thought they were; they would pay for injuring his sister.

"The two of you can attack together if you like; it will save me some time." Dino provoked them and threw his medal. Spinax appeared and gave a loud roar. His opponents appeared at the same time. They looked like Lambeos, but their bodies looked just like skeletons. It was as if the vivosaur had been x-rayed, but the image was imprinted on the skin.

_Let's go_, Dino thought and Spinax responded with an affirmative.

Though these vivosaurs were supposedly stronger than normal, the battle was pitifully short, probably due the fact that vivosaur and fighter had no connection. Spinax went all out with attacks. Spinax immediately charged forward and defeated the first B-Lambeo with a combo attack. The second B-Lambeo tried to attack while Spinax was in the air, but he twisted out of the way and slammed down. Both vivosaurs fell to the ground, and silently returned to medal forms.

Dino turned around and asked, "Rupert how is Diana?"

"She seems fine, no serious injury. She should wake up any moment."

Moments later, Diana opened her eyes, and bolted upright; searching left and right she found what she was looking for.

"You sucker punched me! Stay where you are!" She advanced menacingly towards the two costumed people.

"Run away!" They yelled and began to run, a boulder came rolling down the slope and made contact. As the dust cleared, the two attackers were partially trapped under the rubble and knocked out.

"We had better call the staff member of the island; I think his name was Terry?" Dino said as he brought out his pager. Diana looked up to where the boulder came from and noticed a shadow. When she tried to focus, it seemed to have disappeared.

"What's wrong?" Rupert asked, "Nothing, I just thought I saw someone." Diana replied.

Sena backed away just in time to avoid being seen.

_The sense of déjà vu is getting stronger. Where have I seen Dino before? No use worrying about this now_.

She turned around and headed back to the dorm room, scaling the volcano at a great speed.

"Your brother is very strong." Rupert noted and Diana nodded her head.

"He is, but he isn't a big fan of battles. He made a promise when he was a kid to fight for the purpose of protection."

"Looks like he is on his way over. Are you two finished? I am going to question these two." Dino said, pointing at the people trapped under the rock. The three hauled off enough rock to free the two attackers. They groaned in pain as they regained consciousness.

"Where am I?" One said, looking around the clearing in confusion.

"What was I doing?" The other said, rubbing his head.

"Who are you working for?" Diana demanded and the two returned blank stares. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Where did you get those Boneysaurs?" Dino asked, the two responded the same way. He then walked over to the fallen medals, as he tried to pick them up; they faded away; leaving no trace.

"This is very mysterious. Have they been hypnotized?" Rupert asked and the twins shrugged their shoulders.

Terry arrived minutes later and the three explained the events. The two attackers were ushered away to be checked.

"We should probably go. It is getting late." Dino noted and together they returned to the dorms. Todd, Pauleen and Sena were already in their respective rooms. The tale was told and they went to sleep, the month of December was already halfway through. Christmas day was nearing.


	11. Christmas and New Years

It was a white Christmas this year, the snow falling in thick flakes all around. Diana and the others had planned to celebrate together. For that reason, she could not wait until the bell rang for the end of the day. Diana could barely contain her excitement as the final class began.

When the school day was over, Diana and the others met up outside the dorms, wearing their winter jackets and holding packages.

"Is everyone here?" Diana asked as she looked around. Satisfied that everyone was present, she said "Okay! Let's go!"

The others followed as they set out. They had managed to reserve a party room in town. Setting down shopping bags containing food, they sat down and the celebration began. They set aside the gift bags until later.

After a few hours, everyone was full and getting tired. "Let's open the gifts." Diana suggested and the others agreed. Sena grabbed the nearest package, reading the tag, she silently handed it over to Todd.

"Thanks!" He said and eagerly unwrapped the gift; it was a new explorer hat.

"It looked like the one on your head was reaching the end of its life." Pauleen said, "Good thing one of us noticed."

Todd took the next parcel and handed it to Pauleen. Her gift was a bracelet from the shop she had visited earlier. "You seemed interested, and we couldn't think of anything else." Todd said sheepishly. Removing the piece of jewelry and putting it on her wrist she grabbed the next gift.

"This one is for Sena." The recipient looked slightly shocked but accepted the gift nonetheless. She took out a necklace with a small purple rose charm. "It matched your usual outfit." Dino explained.

_You are not going to tell her that you spent over an hour in a store picking one?_ Spinax asked 'innocently' and Dino replied _none of your business_.

"This one is yours." Sena said as she handed over a parcel. The parcel revealed a carved medallion of wood. It was a detailed portrait of Spinax on one side and a swirly pattern on the other. Dino stared at the gift, "Where did you get something like this?"

Sena paused for a moment. "I didn't buy it, I made it. I just went and bought some materials from the craft store." The others also admired the hand made gift, the gift giving continued.

Diana also received a necklace with a light blue snowflake charm. Rupert received a red toque with some gold embroidery. Diana explained that she thought he would be cold in the winter months without a hat. Everyone thanked each other for the gifts.

"Time for dessert!" Diana exclaimed and brought out a box of chocolate.

"Where did that come from?" Sena asked and Rupert replied. "One of the students at school gave it to me."

Diana, Todd and Pauleen each took a few chocolates; when offered the others politely refused for different reasons.

A few minutes later, something strange overcame Diana, Todd and Pauleen. Todd suddenly passed out, his head hitting the table with a smack. Pauleen began to giggle non-stop. Diana was strangest of all; she started to meow like a cat.

She curled up beside Rupert and began to purr, causing Rupert to turn pink and giving Dino a glance that plainly said "What is going on?! Help me!"

"I think these were liquor chocolates." Sena said as she read the nutritional information on the box.

"Don't those only have somewhere around 1% alcohol?" Rupert said.

"Well, Diana can get drunk from a drop of alcohol." Dino replied, "We'd better bring the others back to the dorms."

Diana at this point had latched herself onto Rupert and showed no signs of letting go.

"Er, I guess you carry Diana. I'll get Todd and that leaves Sena with Pauleen." Dino said as he picked up his friend. Sena did the same, holding her bridal style. The group of teens returned back to the dorms, after putting the already sleeping members to bed they went to bed. Christmas day had come and gone, the New Year was next to come.

Similarly to Christmas, Diana and the others got together to celebrate.

"No one brought any alcohol chocolates did they?" Rupert asked. Diana, Pauleen and Todd looked curiously and Dino interjected, "Do not worry. There will be no repeats of the last time."

Once again they celebrated with food and drink. As midnight neared, everyone decided to watch the sun rise on a nearby roof. "Everyone needs to make a wish."

Diana said as she began to think. Soon, the first rays of sun began to peak over the horizon. The group clasped their hands together and silently made their wishes.

"Is everyone done?" Pauleen asked and the others responded by nodding their agreement.

"So what did everyone wish for?" Todd asked.

"I do not think we are supposed to tell each other." Rupert replied and Sena added, "Apparently, if it does not stay a secret it will never come true. Anyway, we should probably go back and get some sleep."

Diana yawned her agreement and the group headed back towards the dorm. They only had a few more days of winter break remaining, and then it would back to school. The new year began as Diana and the others fell asleep in their beds.


End file.
